


Mistletoe Woes

by hybryd0



Series: December Fic Challenge [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, ace!louis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2014-12-04
Packaged: 2018-02-28 02:09:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2715056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hybryd0/pseuds/hybryd0
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>prompt: mistletoe</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mistletoe Woes

Louis peeks carefully around a corner, flicking his eyes up for a second, before peering as far as he can down the hall. As soon as he’s sure the coast is clear he bolts for his room. He throws the door open and then shuts it quickly behind him, leaning against it as he blows out a relieved breath.

Zayn looks up at him from his desk, some kind of colorful artwork in front of him. He quirks and amused eyebrow at Louis, but doesn’t say a thing.

“Don’t give me that look. It’s a bloody nightmare out there,” Louis grumbles as he throws himself down on his bed and burrows under the covers.

“Pretty sure you’re exaggerating just a bit, mate,” Zayn says as he bends back over whatever it is he’s working on. “It’s just mistletoe.”

“It’s mistletoe everywhere, Zayn, not to mention all the people walking around with it,” Louis says grumpily, glaring out at Zayn from his warm safe haven.

“Just tell people to kiss you on the cheek.”

Louis huffs and buries his face in the covers again. Zayn doesn’t understand. Which isn’t exactly true, because Zayn does understand some of it. He’s always been supportive of Louis and that didn’t waiver one bit the night Louis nervously told him that he doesn’t really like the idea of sex or kissing. In fact, Zayn was the one who put a name to it--asexuality--and helped him find resources to understand it better.

What Louis knows that Zayn doesn’t understand is why he feels the need to hide it. He hasn’t exactly gone around trying to perpetuate a reputation of sleeping around, but he’s dated quite a few people, boys and girls, and sworn them to secrecy that they didn’t sleep together. And maybe no one would think it’s a big deal since Louis is well liked by most of his peers, but that’s exactly the reason he doesn’t want to take a chance.

The bed dips suddenly and the covers are pushed back, but before Louis can protest, Zayn’s fingers card through his hair, gently scratching at his scalp. Louis settles down with a content sigh. Zayn has always known exactly how to put him at ease.

“You should just tell Niall,” Zayn says softly and instantly the tension is back. Leave it to Zayn to get right down to the heart of the matter.

“No.”

“Lou, you can’t keep avoiding him for the whole month,” Zayn goes on. “He’ll think he’s done something wrong and then he’ll get that sad look on his face. You don’t want that sad look on his face, do you?”

That’s actually the last thing Louis wants, but he’s afraid. Out of everyone that Louis hasn’t told, Niall is the one whose reaction means the most. It’ll be pretty crap if Liam and Harry are arseholes about it, but it’ll be devastating if Niall is a dick about it.

“Just tell him, bro. You’re not doing either of you any favors,” Zayn says, a parting shot apparently as he gives Louis’s scalp one more scritch before he gets up and goes back to his desk.

When Louis falls asleep it’s to the thought that maybe Zayn is right.

xxxx

Louis sees Niall coming as well as the telltale green object in his hand. There’s a smile on Niall’s face, but his eyes are determined and Louis knows that Zayn is right. He can’t just duck away from Niall again, not when they’ve clearly seen each other.

In all the scenarios he’s thought up about telling Niall the truth he’s always imagined himself panicking, but that’s not what happens in reality. As Niall gets closer, Louis feels a strange sense of calm come over him. The world feels a little muffled and hazy at the edges, everything else around him falling away so that all he sees is Niall and that damn mistletoe.

“Don’t,” Louis says, holding out his hand when Niall tries to raise the mistletoe above Louis’s head. Niall’s face falls and his eyes get that liquid shine of someone about to cry and Louis hurries to go on. “I don’t want to kiss you.”

“Oh,” Niall says softly and he takes a step back like he’s about to flee. The fog that had settled over Louis’s mind clears in an instant as he realizes just what he’s said.

Louis does panic then and quickly grabs Niall’s arm. “No, shit, it’s not like that, mate, I swear.”

“What’s it like then?” Niall asks, still looking a little bit like he’d rather bolt.

“I don’t want to kiss anyone, not just you. I wish I wanted to kiss you, that would make thing so much easier, but i don’t and I can’t change that,” Louis says quickly. “I’m asexual.”

As soon as he says it, Louis feels ten times lighter. His heart is still hammering as he waits for Niall’s response, but the relief he feels is better than any high. It’s freeing to have the truth out there, at least one more person.

“So, it’s not that you don’t like me?” Niall asks, a cautious hopefulness in his voice. His eyes still look a little wet, but not like they’re about to spill over. Louis counts that as a win.

“No! I mean, I like you a ridiculous amount, mate, really,” Louis says quickly. He doesn’t want thoughts like that to linger in Niall’s head for a second longer. “There’s a long list of things I want to do with you, but none of them include sex or kissing, so if that’s a deal-breaker then...”

Louis trails off as Niall holds up the mistletoe, but he quickly follows that up by grabbing Louis’s hand. Louis watches in a daze as Niall brings his hand up and presses as soft kiss to his knuckles. Warmth floods Louis’s body and he can feel his cheeks heat up.

“Not a deal-breaker, Lou,” Niall says, the smile on his face bright enough to compete with the sun. “Not a deal-breaker at all.”


End file.
